Cabinet lays out plan to make Taiwan bilingual by 2030

2018/12/04 21:10:00

Taipei, Dec. 4 (CNA) Premier Lai Ching-te (賴清德) said Tuesday that the Cabinet has mapped out a blueprint for making Taiwan bilingual by 2030 in a bid to enhance the country's international competitiveness.

Lai said after hearing a report from the National Development Council (NDC) on the blueprint promoting the development of a bilingual nation that it is a major government policy and that all related government agencies will move forward with it, according to a statement issued by the Cabinet.

The premier also directed the NDC to submit the report during a Cabinet meeting Thursday, the statement said.

Lai said the policy is aimed at encouraging the study of English and boosting English proficiency to improve the country's competitiveness.

English education is the most important task of the policy, Lai said, adding that he has instructed the Ministry of Education to amend relevant laws and regulations and to submit a draft law amendment in the next three months.

According to the statement, Lai also said that public servants should improve their English proficiency, while the heads and deputy heads of government agencies should strengthen their English communication skills so that they can issue important press releases and get first-hand international media coverage.